Family Portrait
by Ka-chan93
Summary: Bella Swan opens a home for children in need and ends up taking care of the daughter of Edward Cullen. What connection does he have to her past, and what will happens when her past catches up with her? Rated T, but may change later. AU/AH
1. Raise it Up

**Hey everyone! This is my new story, an idea that came to me while researching something for GND. **

**Summary:** Isabella Swan is a young NYU student who opens a home for homeless and orphaned children and teens. Suddenly, she is asked to take care of a small girl named whose mother died. She has to watch her until her father, who just happens to be the famous Edward Cullen, comes to pick her up. Isabella, knowing fully well what most rich bachelors are like, hates him at first, but eventually can't help but be drawn in by him and his care for his daughter. But things take a rough turn as people from her past arrive in town, threatening to ruin the new and safe life she's built for herself.

**Soundtrack for this chapter:**

Family Portrait by Pink

Raise it Up by IMPACT! Repertory Theater

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight.

**BTW, here's a key for a few different things in the story:**

**~*------*------*~ Means beginning of story, end of story, or changing of POV**

**~*~ Means a time skip**

**~*------*------*~**

_**Rosalie POV**_

"_We are here today to witness the opening of the Swan Home for Children in Need. And to talk to us about the place, here's the person behind it: Isabella Swan; the daughter of world renowned businessman, Charlie Swan." The woman walked over to another young woman, who was wearing a simple, purple empire waist dress that reached just below her knees. Her dark-brown hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail, her hair curling delicately down her shoulder and her bangs framing her face._

_So, Miss Isabella Swan, how does it feel to have opened this shelter?" The woman asked the younger woman, holding a microphone in front of her mouth._

"_It feels really great," she said with a smile. "I've always wanted to do something for the younger people in need. This was probably the best thing that my dad ever let me do, and I am eternally grateful."_

I clicked off the television and glanced down at the small girl who was sleeping on the sofa. Her curly hair was the same shade as her father's and it fell in her face as she slept, her mouth slightly open. I glanced back at the now off television before making my decision; that is where Addie would stay; somewhere where I knew she would be cared for while waiting for her father to pick her up.

**~*------*------*~**

_**Bella POV**_

I smiled down at a sleeping girl – one who had probably smiled for the first time in a long while. I gently pulled the blanket over her before quietly leaving the room.

Seven children and four teens had arrived today, much to my delight. This idea had at first seemed too good to be true, but it seemed like it was going to be a great idea after all.

Charlie had purchased a rather large mansion – much to my displeasure – for my organization. Though I had been upset at first, not liking him using so much money on me, I was thankful for having the room.

Of the teenagers, two were boys, and two were girls, while with the children, there were five girls and two boys. Not wanting to leave the children alone, we paired one of the teenage girls with three girls, the other teenage girl with two girls, and each teenage boy with a younger boy.

I was thankful that all of them were in bed now, all fast asleep. I made my way up to my study, where I had to look over some papers and work on my schoolwork. I may have opened this place, but I still had my studies to worry about, hence why I had enlisted in the help of my older brother, Jasper, who would be like the councilor for the kids, as he had majored in psychology.

I sat down, shuffling through my papers as I went through all of the interview requests, everyone wanting to know the reason behind me opening this place.

Not that I could tell them, anyway.

I sighed as I put them down, nearly falling out of my seat when I was startled by the sudden sound of my telephone.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Hello, is this Isabella Swan, head of the Swan Home for Children in Need?" a woman asked.

"Yes, that's me," I said, growing curious. What could this woman want at this time of night?

"Hello, My name is Rosalie Cullen. I'm a lawyer who specializes in cases with children, and I'm calling you about a very urgent matter," Her voice was smooth and professional as she spoke. "I need you to take care of a small girl named Adeline for a few days while some paperwork is worked out with her father. You see, her mother, Tanya Denali was recently killed in an accident, and she needs to be sent to live with her father as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there's so much paperwork that it will take a few days before he is granted custody, and we need somewhere safe for her to stay," she finished, pausing to let me take everything in.

"Of course I'll take care of her," I said. There was no way I would turn away this little girl. "When can I expect her?"

"I was hoping that I could drop her off tomorrow morning around ten o'clock. Would that be okay?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I have class in the morning, but my older brother Jasper will be here. I will make sure that she has a room ready when she gets here."

"Alright," she said. "And if it's not too much to ask, please keep a close eye on her. Her mother was quite well known, and we have information that suggests that her death was not as much of an accident as it seemed." I nodded to myself. Tanya Denali was a famous model, and her death had been a big story on the news today. "And before I let you go, I have one more thing to request from you."

"What?"

"Her father will hopefully stop by tomorrow around five to meet Adeline. You see, he does not currently know that he has a daughter."

I straightened a few more things out with Ms. Cullen before saying good night and hanging up. I was definitely ready for tonight.

I quickly shut things off before heading off toward my room on the bottom floor.

My room was very simple, but I loved it all the same. The walls were painted blue, while the floor was covered in large, white tiles. Up against one wall was an array of cabinets, shelves, and drawers, along with my closet and bed. Along another wall was my personal desk with my personal computer, an iMac.

I quickly changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed, wanting for this day to be over, but instead found myself thinking about the kids who lived here now.

The teens were named Anthony, Jonathan, Lilly, and Andrea, while the kids were named Thomas, Andrew, Madison, Kathy, Annie, Sarah, and Hannah. They had all quickly taken to both each other and this place.

I could only hope that things would continue being this good.

**~*~**

I sat in my office while I waited for the little girl to be dropped off. Classes had been canceled due to emergency construction on the NYU campus, so I was free to be here when she arrived. There was a knock on my door before three people walked inside.

First was my brother, Jasper. He was very tall and had blue eyes and almost silvery-blonde hair. If a stranger glanced at us, they would think that there was no relation between us, especially by the way we acted around each other. To others, it didn't seem like we were very close or open with each other at all, but that was because our bond was a lot deeper than that. I had never been very open about anything – especially my emotions – but Jasper seemed to almost be able to sense my emotions. Though he said he could just read me very well, I still had a suspicion that he was empathic.

The second person to walk in had to be one of the most beautiful women that I had ever seen. She was tall and blonde, her hair cascading elegantly over her shoulders in beautiful curls. She had blue eyes and amazingly beautiful facial features. She was wearing a simple, black pants suit and black stiletto heels, yet she still managed to look incredibly elegant. There was no doubt that this woman was Rosalie.

But the person who stood out the most to me was the third and last person to walk in the room; the small girl was hiding shyly behind Rosalie's legs, her eyes curious and scared. Her bronze-like hair fell in soft, elegant ringlets around her face, perfectly complimenting her bright-green eyes. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved blouse and a denim, apron-like denim dress that buttoned in the front. A pair of simple, brown boots covered her feet, and she was carrying a brown winter jacket in her arms.

I bent down in front of her, a small smile on my face. "You must be Adeline," I said. She nodded, her small hands losing their grip on Rosalie's pants. "I'm Isabella Swan, but my friends call me Bella." I held out a hand in front of her, and she slowly reached out her own to shake mine.

"My momma always called me Addie," she said quietly, her voice chiming like bells. I smiled again before standing up to greet Rosalie.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Cullen," I said, shaking her hand. "You're quite the renowned lawyer."

"Actually, its Mrs. Cullen," she said with a grin. "And the pleasure's all mine, Ms. Swan. You're becoming quite the celebrity yourself."

I blushed before gesturing for them to sit down in front of my desk. I walked around and sat down in my chair.

"I am assuming that she knows that she will be staying here for a few days?" I asked. Rosalie and Addie both nodded, and I couldn't help but think that there was something familiar about Addie's smile. I also couldn't help but smile at the adorable innocence of the young girl. "Well, then I suppose that there isn't too much to discuss, it there? How about we go find your room?" Addie nodded and grinned, revealing some of her pearly-white teeth. I got up and offered her a hand, which she took enthusiastically. We walked through the house until we reached her room.

The walls were a soft pink, the floors covered in lush, white carpet. The walls were adorned with white cabinets and shelves, a small bed lined up against one wall. There were several toys and stuffed animals throughout the room, much to Addie's delight.

Addie quickly dropped my hand and ran to play with some of the toys. I stood and watched her with a smile as Rosalie came up to stand next to me.

"She really likes you, you know," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "She's never taken so quickly to anyone – not even me, her own aunt."

I smiled at her before turning my head to watch as Addie played with some teddy bears on her bed. I knew there had to be a bigger reason behind why Rosalie had been so protective about this girl. I had dealt with my own share of lawyers, and I felt very sorry that the young girl had to go through something like this.

"When are you going to tell her father?" I asked, my gaze still on Addie.

"I plan on talking to him after this," she said quietly. "Addie's mother didn't want to interfere with his studies, so she left as soon as she found out she was pregnant. Damn near broke his heart, too." She paused as she let out a heavy sigh. "It's going to be such a shock for him to go from bachelor to father so suddenly."

I switched my gaze to her. "If you don't mind me asking," I asked cautiously, chewing nervously on my bottom lip. "Who is her father?"

"Her father is Edward Cullen."

I felt my body freeze. Edward Cullen? As in super rich, insanely attractive, and phenomenal musician, Edward Cullen? I felt myself break out into a nervous sweat as memories began to flash in my mind – memories that I hadn't revealed to anyone, not even Jasper.

"Oh," I replied simply as I attempted to regain my composure, fully aware of Jasper staring at me, obviously concerned about my reaction. I turned back to Addie, and I felt stupid for not seeing the resemblance earlier. Her hair and eyes were the exact same shade as his, and she even had the same crooked smile that he often used to make girls swoon. This little girl I could handle.

But my past, on the other hand, was something completely different.

**~*------*------*~**

**So? What did you think? Good? Bad?**

**Please review, and feel free to give me suggestions about what I can do differently. I'm already working on the second chapter, which will be EPOV (my first attempt at it).**

**Thank you for reading!**

**~Ka-chan =)**


	2. Daughters

**Hey everyone! Sorry that it took so long for me to update! I've had a lot on my mind, plus Upward Bound, school, and preparing for being a Senior in high school this fall.**

**Soundtrack:**

Is it You by Cassie

Daughters by John Mayer

**EPOV**

I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair, the other one fishing my keys out of my pocket. I quickly unlocked the door and went inside, dropping my suitcase on the floor. I walked over to the phone, only to see that I had three new messages.

_First message. _

"_Hey Edward, it's Emmett. Just reminding you that we're all having dinner with mom and dad this weekend. So pull yourself away from that stupid piano and—" _I pressed skip, already too familiar with my brother's rant.

_Second message._

"_Hey Edward. It's me, Mike. Just reminding you that you have an interview with Ok! Magazine tomorrow morning at 10. If you skip this one, I swear I'm gonna kill you!" BEEEEP_

_Third message._

"_Edward, it's Rosalie. I have something really important that I need to talk to you about. I know you like to relax after a concert, but please meet me at our usual café at 2 tomorrow, and don't be late!" BEEEEP_

Hm…I wonder what that was about. I shook it off and headed into the kitchen, incredibly hungry. I quickly fixed a simple microwave mac & cheese and took it upstairs with me as I sat down at the piano.

And that's all that happened; I ate, composed, and wondered what the heck Rosalie wanted to talk about.

So here I was, in the middle of a small café while waiting for Rosalie. She had called this morning, saying that she had some business to take care of, but would be there as soon as possible.

Finally, she arrived, and I stood to give her a brief, friendly hug, neither of us being very big on physical contact. She was wearing a simple, black pants suit, meaning that the "business" involved her work.

"So, what is it you needed to talk to me about?" I asked as we both sat down. I almost thought I saw a nervous look in her eyes as she reached down to pull a manila folder out of her bag.

"Well, I have some news," she said. "And while one is bad, the other is more of a shock than anything."

"Well?"

She sighed. "Tanya was killed in a car accident yesterday," she said, watching me closely to see my reaction.

I felt my heart ache as I thought about Tanya. She had been my first love, though it had ended badly when she'd suddenly left without any real explanation.

"And what's the big 'shock'?"

"Well," she hesitated, glancing down at the manila folder before gently shoving it toward me. "You seem to have a daughter."

Speechless, I simply opened the folder, immediately seeing a picture of a young girl who could be no more that four or five. Her hair and eyes were the same shades as mine, but her hair was curly in the same way as Tanya's was.

"Her name's Adeline, though she prefers to be called Addie," Rosalie said, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Addie?" I asked, looking back up at her. She nodded, and I took another look down at the picture. "I have a daughter?"

"I know that it's a lot to take in on such short notice, but you need to accept the reality that you're a father," Rosalie said as she pulled out a stack of papers from her bag. "Unfortunately, there are a lot of papers to fill out in order to gain custody – that is, if you want custody." I immediately nodded. I had already missed the first years of her life, I wasn't about to sit back and miss even more.

"Tell me what I have to do."

She pushed the pile of papers toward me. "I need you to fill theses papers out as soon as possible." She paused as I skimmed over a few of the papers. "Also, Addie is expecting you to come visit her around 5 this afternoon. She's very anxious to meet you."

"Where do I go?" I asked her, anxious to meet my daughter, as well.

She pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me. It had an address scribbled in a writing that wasn't Rosalie's, along with a phone number on the other side. "It's the address for the place where she's staying until all the paperwork is straightened out," she said as she stood up, slipping her bag over her shoulder. "Now I have to go meet your goofball of a brother to plan our anniversary vacation." And with that, she was gone.

I smiled as I thought about Rosalie and my brother, Emmett. They had gotten married last year, and their one-year anniversary was next week. They were planning on going to Paris for a week, but they still had to get off from work, and get everything in order. While Rosalie was a lawyer, she also worked part-time as a mechanic in Emmett's garage.

I sighed as I looked down at the photo of Tanya's daughter—my daughter. I lightly traced the outline of her face with my fingertips, staring at her in wonder. It was such a big deal; I had trouble wrapping my mind around it.

Making up my mind, I closed the folder, grabbed it and the paperwork, and headed out to my car, quickly driving off toward the toy store.

After spending a couple hours in the toy store, I settled on a simple, white teddy bear with a white ribbon wrapped around its neck.

I looked down at my watch, only to see that I was expected to meet Addie in half an hour.

I quickly paid for the teddy bear before walking out to my car and heading out toward the address that Rosalie had given me.

I arrived at the large mansion just before five. I saw the large sign that read, _"The Swan Home for Children in Need"_, and I knew that I had to be in the right place. I knew that I had known someone with the last name Swan, but I couldn't place it. I grabbed the paper bag with the teddy bear as I got out of the car and into the house. Not having been inside for more than a minute, I found myself being welcomed by a man named Jasper.

"Can I help you?" he asked, setting down the cardboard box he was carrying.

"Well, my name is Edward Cullen—"

"I know who you are," he said as he cut me off, rolling his eyes. "What I meant was what are you doing here?"

"Well…I'm supposed to meet my daughter."

"Ah," he said, picking the box back up. "You must be Addie's father. Follow me."

I followed him up the stairs and down a hallway. We passed several rooms, and I was amazed at how happy the teens looked. I guess it was a lot better than living on the streets; at least, according to what _she_ had told me.

Jasper stopped in front of a room and turned to face me. "I'm going to leave you here. I have to go distribute these to the others." And with that, he walked back in the direction that we had come from.

I took a deep breath, fiddling the paper bag with the teddy bear between my fingers, before stepping inside the open room. Before I saw anyone, I heard two voices talking in hushed tones.

"What was your momma like?" asked a younger, higher voice. It was clear that it was the voice of a child, and her voice was drenched in innocence.

"She was very kind," said another voice, this one more mature, and slightly familiar. "She cared about me a lot. But when I was a little younger than I am now, she got very sick."

"Did she leave you like my momma left me?"

I could practically imagine the young woman's sympathetic expression at the little girl's statement.

"Addie, you have to remember that your momma didn't want to leave you. It wasn't her choice."

I decided that it was time for me to make my presence known. I walked further into the room, and I finally spotted the little girl and the young woman.

The small girl looked exactly as she had in the picture, except so very different at the same time. Her hair was pulled up into pigtails, and she looked extremely adorable. She looked up at me and cocked her head to the side.

"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes curious.

"Well, I'm Edward," I said, my smile still small, as my nerves were still extremely strong. "I'm you father."

I saw the young brunette – whose back was toward me – stiffen, but I hardly noticed as I was to preoccupied by the incredible amount of emotion that was visible on the little girl's face.

"You're my daddy?" she asked. I nodded my head, and I was almost knocked down by the radiance of the smile that appeared on her face, finding one creeping its way onto my face as she ran across the room and launched herself into my arms. I hugged her back before she turned to look at the young brunette. "Come meet my daddy, Miss Bella!"

_Bella?_

I stared at the young brunette who was still sitting on the ground. She seemed to take a deep breath before standing up and brushing off her skirt. She turned around, a nervous expression on her face. But that wasn't what blew me away.

_It's her!_

Her features had matured since the last time I saw her. She had lost some of the baby fat around her cheeks and chin, and her hair was darker and wavier that it had been. She had grown a few inches as well, and she seemed to have just the right amount of curves in all the right spaces.

I gently put Addie down as I continued to stare at the beautiful girl—No, woman—that was standing in front of me.

"Bella?"

"Hello, Edward," she said, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. "It's nice to see you again.

**So what do you guys think? Anyone curious to know how they know each other? Got any ideas and/or theories? Review and tell me; I'd love to hear them and any criticism you guys have!**

**Thanks!**

**~Kaja**


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